15 Things I Wish I Brought to College My Freshman Year
Heading to college soon? Learn from my mistakes! Here are 15 things I wish I brought to college my freshman year.
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I’m a huge planner — I like to be overly prepared for EVERYTHING.
I read every college packing list out there but there were still a few things I wish I brought to college my freshman year.
No matter how prepared you think you are, chances are you still may forget a few of these college items.
To save you from making the same mistakes I did, I wrote up a list of all of the things I wish I brought to college my freshman year.
What I Wish I Brought to College
1. Mattress Topper
Trust me, this is an absolute must-have for college dorm rooms.
Most dorm room mattresses are thin, hard, and uncomfortable. A thick mattress topper will make your bed so comfy and luxurious.
I forgot to bring a mattress topper and immediately regretted it. As soon as I got one, my sleep improved SO much.
This is the one I got and I seriously could not recommend it more! It literally makes you feel like you’re sleeping on a cloud.
If you’re looking for a cheaper option, this mattress topper from Amazon has good reviews and is super affordable.
[RELATED: How to Make Your Dorm Bed More Comfortable (Without Spending A Ton)]
2. Water Filter
I was so mad that I forgot to buy a water filter for my dorm room freshman year. The tap water in my dorm tasted SO gross.
I really wish I had packed a simple water like this one from Brita:
Luckily one of my roommates had one and let me use it! It also saved me so much money because I didn’t have to buy plastic water bottles.
While we’re on the topic – don’t forget to pack a reusable water bottle to fill up and bring to class!
3. Bed Rest Pillow
Someone told me I wouldn’t need a bed rest pillow in college and I’m so mad that I listened to them!
I always watched Netflix in bed when I lived in the dorms. Without a bed rest pillow I just had to lean up against the wall, which was super uncomfortable.
I really wish I had brought a comfy bed rest pillow for sitting on my bed or on the floor. So much more comfortable than just using a regular pillow!
This is the pillow I wish I would have gotten when I was in the dorms. It has such good reviews and even comes with pockets for your phone or remote!
4. Clip-On Fan
Dorm rooms can get SO stuffy, especially in the early part of fall semester.
If you don’t have air conditioning, you definitely need to figure out ways to cool down your dorm room.
One super cheap way to get some extra airflow is this clip-on fan. You can attach it to your bed or desk to help cool you down a bit.
Thankfully, my dorm room had air conditioning but I still wish I had a little fan like this one.
It would have been so nice for those days when I didn’t want to blast the air conditioning but I still wanted a little extra airflow.
5. Bedside Table
I really wish I had one of these cute bedside tables my freshman year of college.
I lofted my bed and it was so annoying trying to find spots for my phone, water bottle, and glasses at night.
I actually ended up borrowing a tray from the cafeteria and shoving it halfway under my mattress. It was super ugly and I would always have to take it down when I changed my sheets.
If I could go back in time I would have just ordered one of these bedside shelves. They’re way cuter and a lot more functional.
6. Mini Fridge Caddy
How genius is this mini fridge caddy? It drapes over the top of your fridge to create more storage space.
I stored all of my cooking utensils on top of my bookshelf, which took up so much precious storage space.
This caddy would have been so useful for freeing up some space in my dorm room!
7. Stick Vacuum Cleaner
When I was living in the dorms, I thought it was smarter to just use the communal vacuum whenever I had spills. I was so wrong!
The communal vacuum in my dorm was ANCIENT and so huge. It was such a pain to go all the way down to the front desk and drag it up to my room.
Plus, it was so old that it barely had any suction power left.
I really wish I had bought this stick vacuum cleaner and just stuck it in the back of my closet.
It would have made it so much quicker to clean up little spills. Plus, it’s so cheap and takes up almost no room.
8. Jewelry Cabinet With Full Length Mirror
This may seem a bit unnecessary to some people, but I seriously wish I had this 2-in-1 jewelry cabinet and full length mirror when I lived in a dorm.
A full length mirror is a total must-have in a college dorm because you don’t want to have to go down the hall the the bathroom every time you’re getting ready.
This mirror opens up and has TONS of storage space for jewelry, makeup, and other small accessories.
And you can hang it over your door so it takes up practically no space!
9. Locking Storage Box
I had no idea how common dorm theft was before I went to college. Did you know that an average of 11,000 dorm burglaries occur every year?? So scary.
Fortunately, I didn’t have anything stolen from my dorm when I was in college. But looking back I really wish I would have had a lock box or safe in my dorm room for valuable items.
This dorm room safe is a bit pricey, but it’s made out of the highest quality materials and is big enough to hold a laptop.
If you want a cheaper option, the Vaultz storage chest is another very popular lock box option for college students.
I wrote a whole post about the best dorm room safes if you’re looking for ways to keep your valuables secure in college.
10. Halloween Costumes
I always ended up scrambling at the last minute to come up with cute halloween costume ideas in college.
I can’t tell you how many times I went as a cat because I was unprepared and had nothing to wear.
One of the things I wish I brought to college was a couple of cute halloween costumes. You can also reuse them for theme parties if you’re in a sorority!
Here are some good ideas for college Halloween costumes:
- 37 Easy Costumes With Normal Clothes For A Low-Effort Halloween
- 60+ College Halloween Costumes For Girls
- 32 Easy College Halloween Costumes That Are Perfect for College Parties
11. Rain Gear
For some reason I feel like everyone forgets to bring rain gear to college.
Honestly, not a lot of people use umbrellas in college because they’re kind of a pain to carry around with you in and out of campus buildings.
I recommend bringing a good rain coat and pair of rain boots for those stormy days.
12. Shoe Organizer
I always just threw my shoes in a pile at the bottom of my closet when I lived in my dorm room.
It honestly looked so bad and it would always take me forever to find the matching shoe when I was getting ready.
If you have the closet space, I definitely recommend getting a hanging shoe organizer. You’ll keep everything organized and you can see all of your shoes at once.
If you don’t want to take up precious closet space, I love these under-bed shoe storage cubes.
[RELATED: 23 Under Bed Dorm Storage Ideas You Need In Your Room]
13. Mini Steamer
This sounds weird but trust me, you’ll end up using this a lot! Clothes get so wrinkly in cramped dorm closets and there’s nowhere to store an ironing board.
I really recommend bringing a mini steamer with you to college.
It’s definitely one of the things I wish I brought to college my freshman year. It takes up almost no space and gets rid of wrinkles really well.
Another solution for wrinkles is to use this wrinkle release spray from Downy.
This stuff is straight up magic when it comes to getting wrinkles out. Just spray your clothes and stretch them out a bit and they look brand new!
14. Foldable Drying Rack
While we’re on the topic of laundry, you definitely need to pack some kind of foldable drying rack.
Chances are there are some clothing items that can’t go in the dryer. Save your Lululemon leggings from getting ruined in the dryer and just hang them on a rack to dry in your room.
This drying rack from Amazon folds down flat so you can store it under your bed or in your closet. Just pop it open when you need it!
15. Microwaveable Dishes
One really dumb mistake that I made was not checking to see if my dishes were microwave-safe.
I wound up melting one of my bowls during the first week of freshman year!
Learn from my mistakes and pack a set of microwaveable dishes so you don’t ruin your food or start any dorm fires.
Now that you know everything I wish I brought to college, you should be all set to start packing for your dorm room!
Looking for more dorm room ideas? Here are some posts you may like:
